Sound-reproducer.



A. N. HERMAN.

SOUND RBPRODUGBR. l

APPLIGATION FILED 13.13, 1907. Y

1,034,031. yPatent-,ea.h11y3o,1912.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

ALEXANDER PIERMAN, F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THOMAS A. EDISON, INCORPORATED, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SOUND-REPRODUCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30,1912.

Application filed April 13, 1907. Serial No. 367,917.

Td'all whom t may concern:

'tain new and useful Improvements Be it known that I, ALEXANDER N. PIER-A MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented eer- 1n Sound-Reproducers, of which the following is a description.

My in vention relates to sound reproducers of the fluid pressure operated type, and has for its object the provision of means whereby improved results in the reproduction of sounds will be secured.

lMy invention consists of an improved forni of valve for varying the rate of flow of elastic fluid through the ports by which the resonating and equalizing chambers of the reproducer communicate, and 'in improved means for supporting the valve referred to, and in the arts, improvements and combinations which are hereinafter pointed out and claimed.

, In order thatmy invention may be betterv understood attention is called to the accom panying drawings forming a part of this specification, where1n--.

. Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the port plate; Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 12 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 -is a cross section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 isa vertical cross sect-ion of a reproducer embodying my invention.

Throughout this specification and' in all the figures of the drawings, the saine nu meralsof reference are used to designate corresponding parts.

The port plate or partition 2 isA interposed between the resonating chamber 3 and the equalizing chamber 4 of thereproducer 5, which is designed to be borne upon the carrying arm of the phonograph. In this i plate are formed ports 'fi whose walls preferably converge toward the lower falce of the The improved valve has the form of a preferabl rigid plate the greater part'of whose lengt 1 is slotted to forni parallel tongues 7 the number of which corresponds with the number of ports in the portplate 2 with which the valve plate coperates. The ends of the tongues 7 are con. nected by a bridge 8 which is secured thereonreferably by shellac or cement. This bri ge keeps the valve plate fiat and revents separate vibrations in the' indivi ual valve tongues. The valve4 plate and bridge are preferably made of a light metal, 'as

aluminum. I have obtained very favorable results by theV use of valves having three tongues of the relative proportions illustrated. In my former pending applications above identified the valve plate is sho-wn rigidly attached to the port plate and operated to open and close the ports by flexing. In the valve disclosed herein I have doneaway with the rigid fastening of the -valve to the port plate and with the flexure plate more forcibly toward the end .thereof opposite th'e tongue T than elsewhere. The valve being supported in this manner when it is opened by the pressure of elastic fluid thereon and by the pull of the stylus, will turn upon its end opposite the tongues T as a fulcruming line.

The particular means which is illustrated in the drawings for resiliently supporting the valve plate is the following: A headed screw 9 is passed through an ope-ning in a leaf spring 10 and is then passed loosely through an opening in the valve plate 2', and securedin a threaded opening in the port plate 2. As shown, the opening in the spring 10 is formed at one side of the middle thereof and the opening in the valve plate through which the screw passes is close to that end of the valve opposite the tongues 7. Then t-he parts are thus assembled the ends of the spring bear against the valve plate and press it against the port plate. The end 1l ofthe sprin. which is longer than the end 12. may, i desired, be made to press against one of` the tongues 7 of the valve plate as shown. An opening is made in one of the tongues 7 for the reception of the link 13 which connects the valve with the stylus lever. As will be evident from Figs. 1 and '2 or flexure will be in the spring 10 which isinitially adjusted by means ot' the screw 9 to counterbalanee the pressure due to gravitation and atmospheric pressure.

Any orm of positioning means to keep the valve plate and the port plate in the same relative position may be used. I preferably provide one of the said plates with projections and the other with apertures in which the said projections are received. These positioningmeans I place as near as possible to the ulcruming line 14 where the motion of the valve plate is least. The positioning means which I have shown in the drawings comprises studs 15 formed on screws 16 which screws pass through the port plate 2, the studs 15 projecting therebelow and fitting into openings in the valvel plate 2. These openings are made slightly larger in diameter-about .001- -than the studs 15, and with the studs serve to position the valve plate upon the portplate, but do not attach it thereto. In order to avoid cushioning of the valve plate upon the port plate, lI cut awa.y the material around the slots 6 leaving only knife edges for the valve to rest upon.

As shown in Fig. Li, the link 13 passes through the bottom of the equalizi'ng chamber 4, and is connected to thc stylus lever 17 carrying the stylus 18. The stylus lever is pivoted upon the floating weight 19. A nipple 20 is attached at the side of the equalizing chamber and a tube leading to a suction apparatus maybe connected thereto. A. dirt screen 21 is provided to prevent diist and' dirt 'from getting into the valve.

Of course pressure instead ofsuction may be utilized for operating the valve, and if pressure greater than atmospheric pressure were used, the port plat-e 2 and the valve plate 2 assembled as shown will be reversed so as to be properly actuated by pressure within the chamber 4, as will be understood.

I claiml. In a sound reproducer a port plate, a valve plate in contact with the said port plate, resilient means for pressing `the said valve plate against the port plate, said mea-ns constituting the sole means of attachment between said plates, and a stylus connected to said valve plate, substantially as set forth.

2. In a sound reproducer a port plate, a valve plate in contact with the said port plate, resilient means for pressinfg the said valve plate against the port plate more forcibly at one end of the said valve plate than elsewhere, said resilient means constituting the sole .means of attachment between said plates, and a stylus connected to 'said valve plate, substantially as set forth. i

3.' In a sound reproducer, a port plate, 'a

valve plate bodily movable-away romthe said port plate, means forpositioning the one plate with respect to the other, resilient means for holding the plates in contact said means constituting -the-sole means o attachment between said' plates and a stylus connected to said valve plate, substantially as set forth. l

. 4. -In a sound reproducer, a port plate, a valve plate, and means for resiliently supportin the valve plate in contact with the port p ate so that it may turn bodil upon one of its edges, substantially as set I 5. A sound reproducer comprising a resonating chamber and an equalizing chambercommunicating through ports, a bodily movable valve normally closing saidports, and resilient means for 'supporting the valve in contact with its seat so that it may turn bodily yu on one of its edges, substantially as described.

(i. .In a sound reproducer, a port plate, a valve plate contacting the same, means for positioning the one plate with respect to the other, an adjusting screvv'r carried by the port plate and passing loosely throughan opening in the valve plate, and aleaf spring interposed between the head of said screw and-,the valve plate, said screw and spring 'constituting the sole means of attachment between said plates.

7. In a sound'reproducer, the combination of a body formed with resonating and e uallzing chambers, a port plate interpose be tween said chambers, a valve plate in contact with said port plate, resilient means for pressing said valve plate against said port plate, said means constituting the solemeans of attachment between said plates, and means for `operating said valve, substantially as set forth.

8. In a sound reproducer, the combination'of a body formed with resonating and equalizing chambers, a plate having ports therein interposed between said chambers, a valve plate providedv with tongues covering said ports and contacting said first named plate, means for positioning the one plate with respect to the other, and resilient means for holding the valve plate in Contact with the port plate, said last named means constituting the sole means of attachment 9. In a sound reproducer, a plate-having ports therein, av valve plate provided with between said plates, 'substantially as set I forth v tongues covering said ports 'and contacting .said first plate, rn'ealils.fior4 positioning the one plate with respect to the other, and re- This specification signed, and witnessed silient means for holding the valve plate in this 11th day of April 1907.

Contact with the port plate with oreater f force at one end of said valve platte than ALEXANDER N' PIERMAN',

elsewhere, said last named means constitut- V Witnesses: ing the sole means of attachment between FRANK L. DYER, said plates, substantially as set forth. FRANK D. LEWIS.

Copies n! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Tatents,

Correctionifn Letters Patent No. 1,034,031.

Washington, D. G.

It is hereby certified that in LettersPatent No. 1,034,031, granted July 30, 1912, upon the application of Alexander N. ABierman, ot' Newark, New Jersey, for-an improvement in Sound-Reprodueers, an error appears in the printed specification tongues; and that the said LettersI Patent should be read with this .correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in theV Patent Oice.

Signed' and sealed this 17 th day of September, A. T912.

[SEAL] A l C. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

requiring correction as follows: Page l, line 81, for the word tongue read one plate with respect to the other, and re- This specification signed, and witnessed silient means for holding the valve plate in this 11th day of April 1907.

Contact with the port plate with oreater f force at one end of said valve platte than ALEXANDER N' PIERMAN',

elsewhere, said last named means constitut- V Witnesses: ing the sole means of attachment between FRANK L. DYER, said plates, substantially as set forth. FRANK D. LEWIS.

Copies n! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Tatents,

Correctionifn Letters Patent No. 1,034,031.

Washington, D. G.

It is hereby certified that in LettersPatent No. 1,034,031, granted July 30, 1912, upon the application of Alexander N. ABierman, ot' Newark, New Jersey, for-an improvement in Sound-Reprodueers, an error appears in the printed specification tongues; and that the said LettersI Patent should be read with this .correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in theV Patent Oice.

Signed' and sealed this 17 th day of September, A. T912.

[SEAL] A l C. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

requiring correction as follows: Page l, line 81, for the word tongue read 

